A somewhat random record of observations of what's happening around Lake Wicwas. I hope to post about once a week - your comments are welcomed.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

November 10, 2013

A thin veneer of winter graced Lake Wicwas this morning.

The First Snow at Lake Wicwas

It was the first real sighting of white so far. And amidst the gloom, a moment of brightness appeared and brightened the lake, for just a fleeting moment.

Other than that, it's been a November day.

I also saw the first bit of ice on the lake on Saturday.

The First Ice

There was only a skim in the marsh which must have been accelerated by radiational cooling, as even tiny puddles caught in the leaves under the tree cover were still liquid.

I took a trip up the beaver pond on the Blue Trail to see if the beaver had come back to collect its wood that got hung up in a tree (see October 27). It had - the tree was gone. However, it still hadn't learned its trigonometry, as it had left another one caught in a tree!

Here is where all that wood goes:

Beaver Dam on the Blue Trail

This dam may be 30 or 40 yards long, and being up to four feet high, there are a lot of branches and trunks in there.

This is the back side of the dam in one spot where it is visible.

In addition to seeing the signs of deer marking their territory, there are a lot of other animals doing the same thing right now. The fox leave their signs prominently on rocks, logs, and other exposed areas.

Fox Scat

The muskrat do the same on rocks at the water edge.

Muskrat Scat

They are all notices to others that this piece of hunting ground is claimed!